Love, Sample Pace Blue Devils Friday at RMI

DURHAM – The Duke men’s golf team teed off its 2022-23 season on Friday with the first two rounds of the 12th annual Rod Myers Invitational at the Duke Golf Club. A strong eight-under second round by the Blue Devils moved the team into 3rd place after the first 36 holes of competition and sets up a final 18 holes with the three leading teams separated by just five strokes. Duke was led by freshman William Love and sophomore Luke Sample, who ended the day at even par and in a tie for 16th place overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first round ended with Duke in a tie for fourth place after a team round of 295 (+7).
• The Blue Devils followed up with an overall round of 280 (-8), tied for the best second round by a tead, heading into Saturday in third place.
• Alabama and North Florida lead the tournament overall at six-under. The Crimson Tide turned in rounds of 289 and 281 while the Ospreys carded team scores of 287 and 283.
• William Love bounced back from an opening round 75 (+3) with a second-round 69 (-3). The Atlanta, Ga., native carded five total birdies in the second round, including a stretch of three in a four-hole span en route to his first under-par round as a Blue Devil.
• Luke Sample teed off on the first tee on Friday and carded a 74 (+2) in the first 18 holes of play.
• The sophomore from New York, N.Y., responded following his one-over front nine in the second round by playing bogey-free on his way in, pouring in birdies on 11, 14 and 17 to turn in a scorecard of 70 (-2).
• Ethan Evans, competing as an individual for Duke, was the low Blue Devil of the day.
• Evans took advantage of a 33 on the front nine to move into red numbers and is the top individual in the tournament heading into the final round at two-under, only two shots back of the individual lead and in a tie for ninth place.
• Juniors Ian Siebers and Jimmy Zheng finished in a tie for 20th and 23rd at +1 and +2, respectively, and sophomore Kelly Chinn rounded out the Blue Devils’ starting lineup at +6 and in a tie for 47th.
• Duke also has Daniel Choi, Cameron Martinez-Pieda, John Peters and Daniel Uranga competing individually. Choi heads into Saturday in a tie for 37th (+4), with Peters closely behind in a tie for 40th (+5). Uranga will begin play Saturday morning in a tie for 62nd (+10) and Martinez-Pieda sits in a tie for…